Ford Thunderbirds are a kind of polarizing topic around here. Lohnes only likes the two-seaters and wishes the rest were shredded into a fine metallic mist. I’m actually not that big of a fan of the two-seater ‘Birds…they don’t do it for me, what can I say?…but I dig the 1970s units, the Aero Birds, and the MN-12 cars. We simply agree to disagree and live in harmony until I say “DeLorean”.
This 1955 Thunderbird, however, I think all three of us can get behind. One of the reasons I’m not a fan of these cars is because 95% of the ones I see are perfectly restored, babied cruisers that only come out on days that are 75 degrees out and sunny to show off their ice-cream color paint jobs. This silver machine looks like it spent it’s days asleep, waiting for sunset to come out and screw with some heads. I can dig that all day long. Lohnes would dig it’s history, from it’s original build at a speed shop in 1969 to it’s current form, with the whacked-out rear wheelwells and the “make it three yards” stance. And Chad…well, one look underhood will explain why Chad will love it.
Yes, you smell a Rat…496 cubic inches of big Chevy, backed up to a 700R4 with a 3,000 stall converter. Since Chad is a die-hard Chevy guy through and through, this is the peace offering that should make things better on this deal. Ford guys might balk, but fast is fast and when it looks this good…really, how upset can you truly be? This Thunderbird needs to be sitting, waiting for the next sucker to line up.
eBay Link: 1955 Ford Thunderbird
They ruined one great car.
Classic Ford Thunderbird with a BB Chevy??? What’s next a Ferrari with a Cummins 12v?
The “new” Brian is a perfect fit now. 🙂
LIKE IT
they should have put an ls in it!
that thing is tits!
Shhhhh….. Geordie is still asleep across the pond.
I might give him what he’s asking: if he’d take every single GM sourced piece out of that otherwise great car…
Well, the question is: why was the motor brand switched? Why was one of the most famous magazine T-Birds built, Don Francisco and his 389 Pontiac powered car, engine brand swapped? These guys, obviously, could have had Any brand of motor stuffed in them that they wanted. Why change motor brands?? 🙂
i like the car,nicely done and all—and there are more than enough stockers out there,factory-correct,so it’s not like you’re taking a “only 12 left in the world”-type car and turning it into a hotrod— and i’m a chevy guy(but i’m not a snob about it,i like all kinds of cars) BUT—i agree,i see no reason to put a rat in there—a 428 would have been cooler,and i understand the 700 from the overdrive standpoint,but with that much torque,i question the super short 1st gear inherent in these trannies—-that said,i’d be perfectly on board with a hemi in the engine bay
Yoooouuuu dirty rat!
Who’s asleep?
Burn the mofo – the paint job’s crap, the wheels are crap and the bastard who put the Chevy into it should be chained to the steering wheel!
wrong … wrong…. wrong
not from a purist point of view….sorry if you’re calling it a gasser wrong…
#1 stance…. wrong with the wheel and tire combo front end is about a foot lower than it needs to be ….looks like a late 70’s street racer
#2 engine… needs a caddy engine or a 409 or early hemi with Hilborn stacks
#3 paint … steel grey metalic???? WTF… once again if your gonna call it a gasser where is the lace/gold leaf/ pin stripes
I want it!